NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya is studying global policing models, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, as it moves to overhaul urban security and traffic management systems amid rapid population growth and mounting congestion in the capital.
The reforms come as President William Ruto recently directed Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to develop, within 60 days, a comprehensive framework for establishing a Nairobi Metropolitan Unit.
The proposed unit is part of a broader new working arrangement between the national government and Nairobi City County Government aimed at streamlining service delivery and restoring order in the city.
Security within the city has deteriorated over the years, with the emergence of boda boda criminal gangs, some linked to politicians.
The directive signals a major shift in how Kenya intends to manage its capital, which faces mounting challenges ranging from traffic gridlock and road safety concerns to enforcement gaps across overlapping agencies.
Japan Partnership to Digitize Traffic Systems
At the heart of the reforms is a partnership between the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Roads and Transport and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Under the Kenya–Japan Safe System Approach to Road Traffic Accidents Project, officers are undergoing specialized training to modernize traffic enforcement and accident response.
JICA Kenya Chief Representative Shinkawa Makoto on Monday briefed Principal Secretary for Internal Security Dr Raymond Omollo on the progress of the three-year initiative.
The project, currently 25 percent complete, is being implemented by the National Police Service and the National Transport and Safety Authority.
Its core objective is to establish a fully digitized traffic accident reporting system that will enhance data accuracy, speed up investigations and support evidence-based policymaking.
Officials say the system is designed to replace paper-based reporting with real-time digital entries, allowing for quicker analysis of accident patterns and improved deployment of traffic officers.
Toward a Nairobi Metropolitan Unit
We are currently studying models such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Police to design a system that can handle our growing urban population and heavy traffic flows.Through partnership between the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Transport and the Japan International Cooperation
The proposed Nairobi Metropolitan Unit is expected to complement these reforms by creating a more coordinated structure to manage security, transport and infrastructure within the broader Nairobi metropolitan area.
By drawing lessons from Tokyo’s highly structured metropolitan policing model — known for its integration of traffic management, community policing and data-driven enforcement — Kenya hopes to build a system capable of handling its fast-growing urban population and heavy traffic flows.
The capital’s daily traffic congestion has long been blamed for economic losses, delayed emergency responses and rising road accidents.
Government officials argue that without structural reforms and modernized systems, the situation will only worsen.
If implemented effectively, the digitized traffic system and the Nairobi Metropolitan Unit could mark one of the most significant urban management overhauls in recent years — blending international best practices with local institutional reforms.
